Coin-controlled soap-holder



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1,

0. S. HIGGINS.

COIN GONTROLLBD SOAP HOLDER. 7 No. 516.531 Patented Mar. 13, 1894.

fitter-na ATEN'I Fries.

CHARLES S. HIGGINS, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

COIN-CONTROLLED SOAP-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 516,531, dated March 13, 1894.

Application filed January 2, 1894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. HIGGINS, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Soap-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in soap holders which are constructed so as to hold in a suitably shaped upright receptacle a number of cakes of soap, each cake being sufficient for one wash, and which are provided .with a reciprocating bottom slide, by means of which the cakes may be singly withdrawn from the receptacle, and it consists more particularly in a coin-operated locking mechanism, arranged in connection with the bottom slide, whereby, by the insertion of a coin of the proper predetermined denomination, the bottom slide may be reciprocated and a single cake of soap withdrawn, which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In public lavatories such as are found in hotels, railway stations, factories and the like, single cakes of soap are usually provided to be successively used by a number of persons. This is objectionable to many people,-and is dangerous on sanitary grounds, as the cake of soap furnishes the means of communication for disease.

The object of my invention is to provide a soap holder which will contain a number of small cakes of soap, and will be so constructed as to permit the cakes to be withdrawn singly. I also propose to furnish a small towel, wrapped around the soap, with each cake of soap, so that any person may obtain the use of a fresh cake of soap and towel by depositng a coin of predetermined denomination into the coin slot. The soap holder can be made neat and attractive in appearance, and, by virtue of the simplicity of its construction is very durable.

To this end my invention consists in an upright receptacle, suitably formed in cross section to contain a cake of soap of the de- SeriaI No, 495,328. (No model.)

sired size and shape, provided with a locked top lid and with an opening in its bottom through which, by the operation of the reciprocating bottom slide, the cakes of soap may be one by one ejected. Q11 one side of the holder, I provide a guideway for the coin which operates the soap holder; and this guideway conducts the coin, introduced through the slot on the outside of the holder, through a slot in the reciprocating bottom slide into a resting place formed in a spring pressed trigger, which is pivoted below the holder in such a manner thata projecting lug formed on the same normally enters the slot in the reciprocating bottom slide, and thus locks the said slide from moving, The weight of the coin is just suflicient to cause the trigger to turn sufficiently on its pivot to withdraw the locking lug in said slot, thus permitting the bottom slide to be reciprocated, the coin being by such reciprocation forced downward into the coin receptacle, and the locking lug, at the end of the reciprocation, returning into its customary place.

' My invention is fully illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application, in which the same-reference numerals refer to the same or corresponding parts, and in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of mysoap holder, a portion of the coin receptacle being removed so as to show the locking trigger in position. Fig. 2 is a cross section of the holder, showing the coin guideway, the slotted bottom slide, and the locking trigger, the view being taken on the side opposite to that upon which Fig. 1 is taken. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the locking trigger.

' Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the upright receptacle in which the cakes of soap are to be held, it being of suitable shape in cross section to contain such cakes of soap.

In the drawings this receptacle is represent ed as being square in form, but it is not essential that this form be preserved, and an oblong, circular or othershape may be used if desired. I preferably cast this receptacle of iron or other suitable material, having three sides of metal and forming the fourth or front side by a strip or panel of glass, which is guided or held in position by vertical channels formed in the projecting sides of the holder.

The bottom of the soap holder proper is formed by the reciprocating slide 2, which is guided by horizontally channeled ways out in projectingbottomflanges formedintegralwith the body of the holder, and which is provided at its front end with a curved finger piece 3. This slide is in length nearly double the width of the soap holder, it being normally held by the action of the spring 4 in such a position that the projecting lugs 5, formed on its front surface, strike against the front edge of its channeled guides. Both the front and back sides of the holder are recessed at the bot tom, sofas to form at the front an aperture, through which the cake of soap, with the towel wrapped around it, may be removed; and. the portion of the bottom slide which extends to the rear is formed with a raised ledge 25, the front of which ledge, when the soap holder is not in use, is in line with the inner back surfaceof the holder proper, and thus is directly in rear of the bottom cake of soap. The ledge 25 is of a width equal to that of the interior of the soap holder; and thuswhen the reciprocating bottom slide is drawn forward, it acts to push the lowest cake of soap out of the soap holder, so that it may be grasped by the person. actuating the said slide. In the rear end of this slide is formed a slot 6, throughwhich projects the lowerend of the spring l, the upper end of which is riveted to the upright receptacle 1. Thisspring is sobent that it normally acts to hold. the slide with its rear end projecting to thebaok of the soap holder, so that the said slide can only be drawn forward against the action of said spring.

To one side of the soap holder, I fasten the removable casting 7, the interior of whichis cut away so as to form an ogee shaped channel, which forms a guideway for the coin which operates the soap holder. Below the bottom end of this guideway, the reciprocating bottom slide is slotted at 8 to permit the passage through of the coin, which thus falls into aresting place formed in the pivoted trigger9. This trigger 9 is shown in detail in Fig. 3. As there shown, it consists of a narrow strip of metal pivoted at one end to the projecting flange 10, which is formed integral with the holder proper. The other end of the trigger is bent inwardly at 9 at right angles, and then extends backward at 9 parallel to the first portion 9, until it reaches the projecting lug 11. The distance between the right angled portion 9 of the trigger and the lug 11 is such that a coin of the predetermined denomination will be held between them, the side flange 9 preventing the coin from falling'to one side. On the back of the upper surface of the trigger is formed the projecting lug 12, which normally projects into the slot 8 in the reciprocating bottom slide, it being forced in this position by the action of the spring 13, which, fastened to the flange 10, bears against the lug 14c, whichpro ects from the surface of the trigger. This spring is shown in Fig. 1.

The coin receptacle is formed by the box 15, which slides in guideways on the bottom of the holder proper. An aperture 16 1s cut in the rear face of this box to permit its being slipped forward into position, the proj ecting bottom flange 10 rendering necessary such arrangement. On the rear face of the holder is formed the downwardly pro ecting flange 17, which serves to cover the aperture thus formed in the coin receptacle.

The operation of the holder is-as follows:- When a coin is inserted into the slot formed on one side of the holder, it is carried downward by the coin guideway, passes through the slot in the reciprocating bottom shdewof the holder, and rests in the space between the right angled end of the trigger andithe lug 11, the parallel portion 9 of the trlgger serving to protect the coin from falling to one side. The weight of the coin is just sufiicient to cause the trigger to bend downward on its pivot enough so that the projecting lug 12 is causedto drop out of the slots inthe reciprocating bottom slide, while the top edge of the coin projects slightly into: saidisloti 8. The bottom slide cannow be drawnforward, and the cake of soap delivered. When the slide is being drawn forwardgits lower surface bears against the upperiedge of the coin, which was projecting into the slot in the S316; slide, and pushes it downward against the: action of the spring 13, rolling it along byits continued movement until the coin is finally caused to drop into the coin receptacle. After the cake of soap has been removed. from the bottom slide, the said slide is drawnbackward by the spring 4, and the trigger 9, resumin g its normal position, prevents the slide from being again drawn forward until another coin is placed in the slot.

Both the top lid and the coin receptacle are locked to the holder by a lock of simple construction. Brackets 18 formed on the back surface of the holder enable the sameto be fastened to a wall or other flat surface.

The holder thus described is very simple in construction and may be constructed so as to be very durable. It is not likely to get out of order. By nickel plating the holder, and by artistically forming the portions of the same, it may be made very attractive in appearance.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new,and desire to'securc by Letters Patent, is-

In a coin-operated soapholder, the combination with the body portion of theholder, a slotted, horizontally guided, reciprocating bottom slide, and a spring for normally holding said slide in position under the holder,

of a coin guideway terminating above the reciprocating bottom slide, substantially as slot within the slide, the pivoted trigger 9, described. 10 formed with the projecting lug 12, the right- In testimony whereoflafiix my signature 1n angled portion 9', the rearwardly extending presence of two witnesses.

5 portion 9 and the projecting lugll, and CHAS. S. HIGGINS.

the spring 13, pressing against the lug 14 in Witnesses: the trigger, and thus normally holding the CHAS. S. HIGGINS, Sn,

111g 12 in looking position in the slot in the JOSEPH W. STRAY. 

